Give Himself Up For Her

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind – yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:25-33

The responsibility to understand your spouse is what keeps married life interesting and stretching. Our jobs as men seems to be to figure our wives out. Their job seems to be to keep us guessing. Scripture tells us we must be students of our wives, to know and understand them. Without that commitment to understand a spouse, a husband is not capable of doing what comes next – which is to honor her.

As a husband, if we are to love our wives as Christ loves the church, it will begin with the intentional effort to grow in our understanding of her.

Marriage thrives in a climate of love and respect.

Our Daily Bread – February 12, 2008